


Fire and the Flood

by shedoessomewriting



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Angst, Canon Divergence, F/M, Fluff, I just love them!, I just want them to be happy, I'm bad at writing angst, One Shot Collection, Zutara, and compliant? until it isn't, ehh kind of
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-09
Updated: 2019-11-08
Packaged: 2020-11-28 13:16:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20967170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shedoessomewriting/pseuds/shedoessomewriting
Summary: A collection of Zuko/Katara one shots, based on song lyrics or writing prompts or requests. Some canon compliant, some canon divergent, some a little of both!





	1. why

_ " _ _ I pretend that I'm not ready. _

_ Why do we put each other through hell? _

_ Why can't we just get over ourselves?"  _

Two years since the war had ended.

Two years of toting herself around the world on the arm of the Avatar, shoved to the background as she sat back and smiled. 

Two years of being the constant nameless girlfriend.

Katara was tired. She couldn’t take the unending travel anymore. She couldn’t take the itch in her veins when she hadn’t bent in weeks because _ who would dare show up the Avatar? _ She couldn’t take the distance from her brother and father.

She couldn’t take only seeing Zuko two or three times a year at the big Team Avatar reunions, or when  Aang had  business in the Fire Nation.

The butterflies she got whenever she saw Zuko were practically violent and impossible to ignore, try as she might. She was supposed to be the Avatar’s girl, and surely, the ruler of a nation new to peace was taking every single step on razor thin ice. Surely, Zuko could never be with a girl from the Water Tribe.

...and yet, those damn  _ butterflies _ .

They hadn’t always been there, she thought. There had to have been a time when she saw Zuko and saw the enemy, the opposition, the person she would willingly destroy if given a chance. And there had to have been a time when he looked at her and saw the same thing.

But then there were glowing green crystals, the sting of two teenagers with more pain than they were made to carry, a few simple words that somehow flipped everything Katara knew to be true on its head.

_ That’s something we have in common. _

He wasn’t the enemy, then. He was just a boy with a scar and she was just a girl who could heal. They were not fighting a war that should not have been theirs to fight. They were a boy and a girl, and with her hand on the rough skin of a scar that existed for reasons unknown to her, they were a boy and a girl who had just experienced the most overwhelming sense of what  _ must  _ have been right.

She was sure of it – that was when they started.

Immediately, she shoved them to the back of her mind. 

It was a dumb, useless, baseless crush, and  surely she would get over it. Why Zuko, anyway, when  Aang was goofy and kind and regarded her so highly and loved her as he did?

That mantra had followed her, from the crystal caverns to the coronation of a young new Fire Lord to all over the four nations. From fourteen to seventeen.

_ Why Zuko, anyway? _

It was a delicate dance, because she knew in her gut that he had his own version of the same words in the back of his mind.  _ Why Katara, anyway? _

For years, that was the message on repeat.

When there were visits to the Fire Nation, Zuko always knew he could find her sitting at his mother’s  turtleduck pond late at night, and he always sought her out. They’d sit on the stone bench, the branches of the massive tree above them brushing against the tops of their heads.  Katara bent lazy waves in the little pond, doing her best not to disturb the  turtleducks , but still giggling when they quacked in protest at a new wave pushing them further away from her.

“We’re still doing this, then,” she’d say after a while, far more statement than question. She’d had this conversation with him so many times, and always, always,  _ always _ , it ended the same way. She was tired of that, too.

“ Katara ...” Zuko started. It was a script at this point, and her dry laugh let them both know that it wasn’t one she found funny anymore.

The last time she had been in the Fire Nation, just a few months ago, she decided she was far too tired of the repeated words that always produced the same results. So, instead of following the lines and saying what came next, she stopped bending, dropped her hands in her lap, turned to face him .

“Why? Why are we still tangled up like this?”

He shrugged halfheartedly, tentatively fiddling with the ends of his sleeves. The Fire Lord, ruler of a nation, rendered so speechless by a conversation with a girl. What an excellent reminder that, despite all they had been through, they were still just teenagers.

“Since Ba Sing Se, Zuko,” she whispered. “In case you were wondering how long. Since the crystal caverns.”

“Me, too,” he answered. “A lot changed for me in Ba Sing Se.”

She scoffed. “Right. Like the Azula situation.”

“The Katara situation is more what I was hoping to discuss tonight.”

She felt her breath stick in her throat, because this was a new act in the same play, and she didn’t know where it was going to take her. “What about it?”

“I am--” he started, cut himself off, took a deep breath. “I am exhausted.”

“Right.”

“I am exhausted, and I am alone, and I am ruling a kingdom that hated me just six short years ago. And I am tired of the game,” Zuko said, gesturing between them.

Katara sighed in agreeance, turning back to the turtleduck pond.

“Uncle says my advisors expect me to be married soon.”

Instinctively, her hand flew to her mother’s necklace. She pulled away, but not quick enough – he had seen, and she had given away the status of her heart.

“I am tired of the game,” he mumbled.

They sat in silence for what was surely just a few seconds but felt like an eternity stretched out between them before  Katara reached over to lace her fingers through his.

“Me, too,” she responded, just barely audible, for the moment felt like glass that would shatter if she spoke too loudly.

“So, what happens now?”

Silence stretched between them. She studied their hands together, noted how complimentary they seemed to be, couldn’t ignore the feeling of Zuko absentmindedly moving his thumb over the tops of her knuckles, as if her hand in his was the simplest thing in the world.

“What about  Aang ?”  Katara breathed. His hand stopped moving so abruptly and she knew instantly that those were the wrong words.

“Aren’t you tired of being the Avatar’s girl?” Zuko asked, jealousy tinting the tone of his voice.

“If I leave, what am I then? The Fire Lord’s girl?” He shook his head, opened his mouth to protest. “No, Zuko. I... I am not ready to be someone else’s right now.” The hurt in his eyes was tangible, and the regret in hers was unmistakable.

The sentence sounded foreign coming out of her mouth, and she knew right away that it had not been the right thing to say. It hadn’t been what she wanted to say, nor what he wanted to hear, nor what she felt.

She was, what,  _ pretending  _ not to be ready? And because she was afraid, of what? Of being someone’s? 

Being his would have been the easiest thing she’d ever done.

Katara was already thinking of a way to take her words back, to protest them, to tell Zuko that she’d break things off with  Aang first thing in the morning, that she’d stay here in this land that felt so foreign to her if it meant he’d always hold her hand like that.

But he was already gone, and she was back on the Avatar’s bison before she saw him again.

It was now, in the present, when she realized that she couldn’t keep up the act anymore.

Katara was tired.

So, when  Aang announced that they had a treaty to discuss with Fire Lord Zuko as soon as possible, her heart practically leapt out her chest.

“Really? We’re going back to the capital?” she said, doing her best to shove down her enthusiasm so she didn’t give herself away to  Aang’s very observant self.

“We’ll leave right after dinner,” he nodded, smiling at her with eyes full of adoration, and she felt a pang in her heart.

Again, that mantra.  _ Why Zuko, anyway, when  _ _ Aang _ _ is all of these wonderful things and thinks of me in all these wonderful ways? _

Try as she might, nobody quite compared to Zuko. Nothing felt as electric as their hands intertwined, as easy as tossing bread at unsuspecting but grateful turtleducks, as natural as laughing when he could only remember a punchline, as simple as an eyebrow quirked over a tea cup as Uncle shared another embarrassing baby story of his.

Nothing felt quite as lovely, or made her feel quite as loved, as the way he saw her at her angriest – soaking wet, bloodbending, the life of a man resting in her hands alone – and still, somehow, managed to see her as  Aang did. Without reservation or hesitation, he saw her for all that she was, and he loved her still.

And truly, she knew, that  _ nobody  _ would ever compare to that.

It was this visit to the Fire Nation, she decided, where she wouldn’t be leaving – at least, not for a while. Her heart jumped around her rib cage the whole ride there, anxious to see Zuko and tell him all she knew to be true: that she loved him, and he loved her, and they could figure everything else out later.

When they arrived at the Fire Nation, it was business as usual, at first.  Aang and  Katara were greeted warmly by their old friend, and then shown to their rooms by his attendants (although they visited frequently enough that they knew the way). The four-poster bed she was very familiar with was there, made up with blue sheets in lieu of red, like it always was. Braziers lined the walls, bright and warm, and on the desk in the corner was a carefully folded piece of paper, marked with the royal seal. 

This was new.

She walked over, carefully slid a nail under the wax to break it without tearing the paper, and was met with Zuko’s delicate and graceful handwriting.

_ My mother’s garden is lovely at night, don’t you think? _

Grinning, she folded up the note and placed it where she’d found it. Silly of him to even ask, she thought, when he knew full  well she was there nearly every night she visited.

And yet, the promise of really getting to see him later left her spending the rest of day feeling light, like she was dancing around the palace.

Night fell, and after dinner, it was all she could do to keep herself from running to the gardens. Like the lady she was, she instead excused herself, walked slowly outside, sat herself on the stone bench where cherry blossoms kissed her face, and used all of the energy she had rocketing around inside of herself to focus on steady bending.

With Yue shining down on her and the water at her command, she always felt at peace, always like herself.

“The element of change,” spoke a familiar voice.

“Of course,” she responded, smiling although she didn’t move her eyes from the water.

“Fitting,” Zuko said simply, sitting down beside her. 

“Do you remember what I said when we spoke a few months ago?” she ventured. 

He raised an eyebrow. “Perhaps you mean when we  _ fought  _ a few months ago.”

The water stilled abruptly as she reached over to smack him on the shoulder, although she could hear the jest in his voice and the smile on his face. “Okay, sure. When we fought a few months ago, and I said I wasn’t ready to be someone else’s.” He nodded. 

“But you are still Aang’s.”

She shook her head. “No, I am mine. And who I choose to share myself with is exclusively my decision.”

“And you have decided?”

“I was thinking, Zuko,” she said, once again taking his hand in her own, “that this is probably the easiest thing I have ever done.”

He snorted. “Sitting on a bench and talking to me?”

Katara couldn’t suppress the grin that split her face. “Sure. I was referring more to the hand-holding, but that’s easy, too.”

“Good to know.”

She looked up at him, unable to ignore the distinctly mischievous look in his eyes. “Traveling the world with Aang, never settling in one place, it was fun, but I’m tired. I’m tired of a lot of things, but last time I was here, you made me realize something important – I am tired of the game. Of this endless dancing around each other like we don’t know where to land.” He nodded in agreement. “Well, Zuko, I know where to land now. And I’m here.”

“I have been waiting for you here. I was hoping the dance was about to end.”

“I disagree,” she said, releasing his hand and moving her own to touch his face. “I think the dance is only just beginning, but this time it’s going to be a little bit more of a partnership.”

“Okay,” he responded, a smile on his face that she heard just as well in his voice.

“To be honest,  Aang and I are not officially broken up,”  Katara mumbled, “but I would love it if you would kiss me all the same.” He leaned in, and she was certain that they were  _ finally  _ going to have a heavily-anticipated first kiss.

“And deal with the fury of the Avatar state?” Zuko asked, his lips just centimeters from hers. “No, thank you. Find me in the morning.”

Feigning frustration, she shoved him away, but she couldn’t ignore how her heart felt fuller than it had in ages. “Fine, Fire Lord. Go to bed, then. See if I care,” Katara teased.

“Goodnight, Katara,” Zuko practically sang. As he stood, he pressed a light kiss to her forehead.

Katara fell asleep very excited about the promise of tomorrow for the first time in a long time. 


	2. the archer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “What do you see when you look at me?” 
> 
> He smiled. “The ocean. Peace and calm and a willingness to change. Brilliance. The smartest person I have ever known. The most gracious Fire Lady our country has ever known. The kindest person the world has ever known. I see you.” 
> 
> “If you can see me so well, imagine how I see you.”

_ "Help me hold onto you. _

_ I _ _ 've been the archer, _

_ I've been the prey. _

_ Who could ever leave me, darling? _

_ But who could stay?" _

"Everybody leaves,” Zuko muttered abruptly over dinner one night. Katara nearly dropped her fork, and was sure the look on her face was unmistakably stunned.

“Excuse me?”

“Everybody leaves, Katara.”

“From the Fire Nation? Perhaps because you have everything draped in such an aggressive red, and I’ve told you over and over again that incorporating some blue would probably be a nice adjustment,” she teased, trying to lift the dark shadow he’d just cast over their otherwise pleasant meal.

“Do you know what my greatest fear is?” He looked up at her, red-rimmed eyes desperate. She shook her head. “That you’ll leave, too.”

Her eyebrows knit, confused. “Zuko, are you serious?”

His nod was quick and nearly imperceptible, but she caught  it. Without hesitation, she said, “No. That’s never going to happen.”

“ _ Everybody  _ leaves,” Zuko strained. “My mother. My uncle.”

“You know your uncle is just in Ba Sing Se. He’s just a ferry ride away. Do you want to go visit him? I can claim illness again,” she smiled softly, reaching across the table to take his hands in her own. “And your mother... she had no choice, Zuko.”

“You have the choice, though,” he spoke, his voice barely above a whisper.

“And why would I leave?” She removed one of her hands, using it to point out the shiny headpiece pinned into her top knot. “I sort of promised I’d  _ never  _ do that.”

“But what if you see through me?”

Katara blinked. “What?”

“What if I am bad at being good, like I thought? What if I’ve been trying so long to bring about this era and time of peace, and I end up like my father, or  Sozin ?” He shook his head. “I am afraid of turning out like my father,  Katara .”

At this point, she stood, picked up the mounds of red fabric that made up her Fire Lady robes, and joined him on his side of the table. “Zuko, look at me,”  Katara said, her voice barely a whisper, putting her hands on either side of his face, making his eyes meet hers. “Hi,” she smiled.

“Hi,” he replied, a small, sad grin on his face.

“You are not your father.”

He rolled his eyes . “You always say that, but what if you can’t see it? What if only I can see it?”

She felt tears start to well up in her own eyes, and tried her best to keep them down. “I think I could see it. I saw it in Azula, didn’t I?”

Zuko nodded.

“I  _ can  _ see through you, Zuko, so there’s no point in fearing that. But when I look at you, I don’t see  Ozai ruling with an iron fist, or  Ursa running away, or Azula losing herself. I see  _ you _ . And you are so good.”

“ Katara -” 

“What do you see when you look at me?”

“What?” Zuko asked, a little thrown.

“I’m serious. Look at me! Right in my eyes.” She grinned as they locked eyes again. “What do you see when you look at me?”

He smiled. “The ocean. Peace and calm and a willingness to change. Brilliance. The smartest person I have ever known. The most gracious Fire Lady our country has ever known. The kindest person the world has ever known. I see you.”

“If you can see me so well, imagine how I see you.”

“My turn,” he teased.

“Excuse me?” she asked, again.

“What do you see?”

“Fishing for compliments, Fire Lord Zuko?” she smirked. “Alright. You are light and passion and power that you earned. I see gentleness, and love, and the most magnificent Fire Lord to ever rule. I see that time you took a week off of work because I had allergies for the first time in my life and couldn’t get out of bed. I can see the way you light up a room, and I can see how deeply you love.

“That is who you are, Zuko.”

“I love you,” he whispered, kissing her softly.

“Mm, and I moved somewhere it almost never rains.  So, I love you even more,”  Katara mumbled, returning the affection.

“You could stay here forever.”

“I don’t think anything in this world or others could convince me to leave.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> unedited and just pounded out in about forty-five minutes. hope you love it, and as always, thanks so much for reading! xo


	3. false god

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Zuko was a blessing from Agni. He promised her they would come around, ensured every day ended with dinner had by just the two of them, showered her with affection and reassurance, but every single day felt like a chore to wake up to. Another day of people looking at her, who would soon enough be at the right hand of the Fire Lord, like she was below them. Like she was nothing."

_"We were crazy to think,_  
  
_Crazy to think that this could work._  
  
_Remember how I said I'd die for you?_  
  
_We were stupid to jump_  
  
_In the ocean separating us._  
  
_Remember how I'd fly to you?"_

The fact that this was probably a mistake was a realization she had come to on more than one occasion. Not that they were doing anything strictly wrong. Just that the odds of the pair of them working out, either long or short term, sounded just absurd said out loud as it looked on paper.

And yet, they were two twenty-somethings who had decided that they were in love, and love was worth a shot, even when love was two leaders of two different nations doing their best to stay in admittedly sparse contact. It was the chief of a village heading off on long boat trips to the Fire Nation, but always returning with the Fire Lord on her arm, both of them looking happier than they had looked when they were apart.

Their relationship wasn’t founded on much, but Katara knew this: it was certainly founded on blind faith.

Faith that this would work. Faith that he’d still die for her, just as she would die for him. Faith that, if they had to, they’d cross the ocean for each other – no boats, no Appa, just that blind faith.

The first time Katara knew it was a mistake was her first full, solo week in the Fire Nation since they had struck up this relationship between them. She had been greeted by a stiff boy who didn’t seem to know how to act with his girlfriend on one side and the Fire Sages on his other. She realized at that moment their whole relationship wouldn’t be swapped smiles in unlit hallways when the pair of them both snuck away from the hordes of Fire Nation parties the whole team had been asked to attend. Katara wasn’t sure she could fall in love with the dignitary in front of her as easily as she had fallen for the delightfully, awkwardly, sweet man who’d been sending her love letters from the Fire Nation for months.

She had been wrong, then. Dignitary Zuko didn’t do as great of a job as masking his unique tendencies as he thought. And he was never as sneaky at heating the cold tea he was so regularly served as he thought.

The second time she knew they were making a mistake was as she sat in on a meeting between the Fire Lord and his subjects. She didn’t wear a ring on her finger or a necklace to rival her mother’s, but the pins in her hair were distinctly Fire Nation, distinctly from Zuko, and projected one thing to anyone who was looking – this was the future Fire Lady.

The problem was that most people in the Fire Nation didn’t care for a Fire Lady who wasn’t one of them by blood. She didn’t look like them, didn’t bend like them, didn’t behave like them. She was an “other” in the eyes of those who would soon be her people. And she hated it.

Zuko was a blessing from Agni. He promised her they would come around, ensured every day ended with dinner had by just the two of them, showered her with affection and reassurance, but every single day felt like a chore to wake up to. Another day of people looking at her, who would soon enough be at the right hand of the Fire Lord, like she was below them. Like she was nothing.

This was a long conversation between her and her fiancé after a few weeks of these meetings. They were having a cup of tea in the gardens, a few hours before meetings were slated to begin, and Katara grabbed his hand.

“I’m really tired.”

“I know, Kat.”

“Zuko, these people hate me. How am I ever supposed to have authority over them?”

He shook his head. “They’ve hated me, too. So maybe we just get overthrown.”

She fought a smile that she knew was not well-timed. “That’s not funny.”

“You’re the one trying not to smile.”

“Doesn’t matter. Doesn’t make it any less funny.”

He tightened his fingers around hers. “I know it’s difficult. But they’ll come around. They took even longer to like me than you did, and you’re a much harsher judge of character. It’ll only be a matter of time before you go down in history as the most beloved Fire Lady of all time.”

Zuko was right. She was wrong. This was something she never liked to admit. But the people of the Fire Nation did come around to her before too long, and they treated her with all the care and adoration that they had once treated Ursa.

She the most recent time she thought it might have been a mistake was the day their two-year-old, eldest and, at the time, only child, Izumi started fussing and the flower vase full of fire lilies Katara had placed in her nursery toppled over with no rhyme or reason.

And her first thought was a simple one – _“The water.”_

Her stomach churned thinking about how her subjects, her advisers, her husband would respond to the news that the only heir to the Fire Nation throne was a waterbender.

And then she thought about how stupid the fact that she assumed all of their children would be firebenders was. Arguably, she was a stronger bender than Zuko – they both knew it, and she demonstrated by constantly beating him in sparring matches – and of course, their daughter would carry her mother’s element.

She scooped up Izumi and ran to Zuko’s office, not bothering to knock. He looked up startled, but his face immediately relaxed when he saw who it was.

“Ah. My two favorite human beings,” he grinned. He breathed in like he was going to speak again, but Katara cut him off.

“She’s a waterbender.”

Zuko dropped his pen, his face went slack, and she couldn’t help but notice that his eyes were beginning to tear up.

“You have to say something because I’m freaking out. Your heir doesn’t even bend your element!”

He stood from his desk, came over, and wrapped them both up in a tight hug.

“First of all, she’s our daughter, not just an heir. Second of all, Katara,” he kissed the top of her head, dropped his voice into a whisper, “I have been secretly hoping that she would be a waterbender since before we even knew that she existed. Surely the more she is like you, the more wonderful of a ruler she will be.”

She was wrong again. Not a mistake.

And the first time she was certain it _couldn’t_ have been a mistake, this wonderful thing between them, was when she first saw the Fire Lady tiara pinned into her hair. Her robes were blue (she never could stand the sight of red fabric against her skin), the flame in her tiara swapped out for a crescent moon shape.

She pinned the tiara in her hair the morning of her wedding to Zuko, and alone in her room, she began to cry.

Perhaps they had been crazy to think that it would work. Nevertheless, it had. They’d gotten away with it. And this love was the most magnificent thing that had ever happened to her. Because she knew that spending life by his side couldn’t have been a mistake, not in the slightest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this little ditty! I haven't written in ages but I've decided to do my own little nanowrimo where I'll try to put up a new chapter of this story every single day. wish me luck, ha! hope you love it and, as always, thank you bunches for reading/commenting/leaving kudos/etc., it fuels my soul and makes me feel motivated to write for you!
> 
> feel free to find me on tumblr at katarasbending.tumblr.com - and send me some requests for future one-shots!


	4. she

_"And I'll be okay admiring from afar,_

_'Cause even when she's next to me,_

_We could not be more far apart._

_And she tastes like birthday cake and storytime and fall,_

_But to her, I taste of nothing at all."_

Zuko knew he was in love with her when she gave Yon Rha his life. Simply because it wasn’t what he would have done – not by a long shot. If he’d been able to find whoever took his mother from him, whoever uprooted his life and rewrote his whole story in such a disastrous way, he would not have had the mercy and grace that Katara had. 

But she had looked at that man who deserved what was coming, and she chose to let him live. 

He knew, right away, right at that moment, that she was his other half. His better half. What did she always talk to Aang about during his waterbending lessons? Yin and yang, Tui and La, push and pull. 

Katara and Zuko. 

Not that she could know. Not that she would. Surely Katara looked at him and saw the face of the enemy – she’d said so, once, and why should that have changed? Her opinion on him was something he’d fought for, and even those tables were only just beginning to turn. Katara looked at Zuko and saw nothing worth looking at. 

When Katara looked at Aang, she saw the savior of the world, the bringer of peace. Someone brilliant and loved. 

And of course, Katara would choose Aang. 

Zuko knew he couldn’t look at Katara, not like how he was certain he was meant to. Not like how Aang did. Yet he was also certain that he could not have avoided the affection that now permeated his glances, the screaming behind his eyes that would have told Katara how he felt if she only looked a little closer, if the airbender across the campfire from them wasn’t constantly calling to her. 

The fire in his eyes was so undeniable. She’d know. If she looked. 

He’d never say anything to her. He saw her affection towards The Avatar, the easy way between them. The simple touches, true smiles, jokes swapped. Aang was hers. He was not. 

And it hurt. A little. But... not in a bad way. The ache was oddly pleasant, a reassurance that feeling wasn’t quite as bad as he had previously thought. It was not a weak thing, to feel. It made him feel stronger. 

Still. He was Katara’s friend. She often smiled at him and corrected him, saying, “Best friend.” Maybe their way was easy, too. Maybe it was shy grins and personal stories shared. Maybe Katara had come to mean absolutely everything to him. Everything he was and everything he was not. Surely this brilliant bender hung the moon in the sky at night and as he rose to hang the sun, he’d hand it back to her. A simple routine, something he convinced himself he could do forever, if only she’d let him. 

He knew they would be brilliant, a match made by Agni himself. 

The Avatar was the main complication. Someone good, someone worthy of her care. 

He would never be that person. He wasn’t sure he could. 

And yet, she meant everything to him. 

____________________________________________________________________________ 

Katara wondered sometimes if Zuko recognized the way she looked at him. 

Shy glances. Fluttered eyelashes. A decisive avoiding of his stares because if he noticed her, he’d see it in her eyes – the grace and compassion and care she held for him. 

The deep affection that was lying there. 

He’d taken her to find the man who killed her mother. How could she repay that? How could she ever thank him? 

She’d learned that he wasn’t as abrasive as he seemed. His tea was terrible but she didn’t mind walking him through the steps of making a pot that wasn’t completely awful. He was patient with Aang during firebending training, even when Aang didn’t deserve it. He took Toph’s playfully affectionate punches and plastered on a smile when Suki made another bad joke. He actually laughed at Sokka’s somewhat decent jokes. 

He looked at her like she was the reason the sun rose in the morning. 

She’d never tell him how she felt her heart thunder in her chest when she caught his gaze. He was going to be the Fire Lord. And surely, the Fire Lord wanted nothing to do with a Water Tribe peasant. 

Katara knew she was good and kind and just. But she also knew she’d never be worthy of a Fire Nation crown, try as she might. 

The words she was aching to say would go unspoken. There was no point in them. The beats of her heart would never be reciprocated by the brilliant young man she called her best friend. Nothing was worth risking their dynamic, their close friendship, the way she could tell him everything and anything. 

And yet, he meant everything to her. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> trying my hand at "angst," I guess? ha! this is not my favorite to write because I prefer them HAPPY, end of story. but still, it was a fun little exercise. very short little chapter to stick on but I hope you love it! as always, thank you for reading and leave a comment if you've got any ideas or suggestions or things you want to see in future chapters.
> 
> find me on tumblr at katarasbending.tumblr.com!

**Author's Note:**

> this is extremely unedited and has only been read through once or twice, by me. yikes. hope you love it anyway, haha, and thanks for reading, as always!


End file.
